
The need for firetrucks and ambulances in Ukraine was a topic mentioned at the 2022 Fall North Star Rotary Zone Institute held in Minnesota. This piqued the attention of Past 5950 District Governor Tom Gump, who is a member of The Rotary Club of Edina Morningside. Gump met one on one with some local mayors, including Jeff Wosje, Rotarian and Mayor of Plymouth, MN. Usually Plymouth auctions its used equipment.
If it’s approved at the January 10 Plymouth City Council meeting, the ladder truck will join at least one other fire engine and seven ambulances in a shipment expected to leave the U.S.A. in early February, 2023.

“It’s time to stop searching and start serving,” goes the promo. Simple, direct, and anything but frivolous is a new Rotary podcast produced jointly each week by Minnesota’s Rotary Districts 5950 and 5960. The hope is to reach current Rotarians, and engage listeners worldwide in service.
Why the title: “Searching for Service?”
“Post-Covid is a time for reconnecting,” explains co-host Joseph Kirk, a new Rotarian whose day job is real estate with Sotheby’s International in Edina, MN. “People have eliminated things that don’t matter and are focusing on the things that do matter.”

7 million Ukrainians – most of them women, children, and the elderly – have fled Ukraine since February, 2022 in the wake of Russia’s invasion. Through the Uniting for Ukraine program, the U.S. joins European countries as a safe haven for Ukrainians.
Uniting for Ukraine offers a pathway for 100,000 Ukrainians to come to the U.S. for an initial two-year period. Under this program, a Ukrainian family must have a sponsor in the U.S. who agrees to help them get on their feet.
Alight is working to make Minnesota, Wisconsin, & North Dakota be the standard for welcoming new communities. The goal is to mobilize 100 sponsoring groups by December, 2022 and we are being called to action to help them accomplish this across the Midwest.
Alight is coming to Rotary Districts 5580, 5950, & 5960 because of our reach into the farthest corners of the tri-state region. Specific targeted areas include the Twin Cities and Metro area, Rochester, St. Cloud, Mankato, Faribault, Marshall, Moorhead, Hudson, Fargo, Bismarck, and Willmar, but Rotary members have reach into many more and Alight looks forward to working together to meet these targets.
Uniting for Ukraine offers a pathway for 100,000 Ukrainians to come to the U.S. for an initial two-year period. Under this program, a Ukrainian family must have a sponsor in the U.S. who agrees to help them get on their feet.
Alight is working to make Minnesota, Wisconsin, & North Dakota be the standard for welcoming new communities. The goal is to mobilize 100 sponsoring groups by December, 2022 and we are being called to action to help them accomplish this across the Midwest.
Alight is coming to Rotary Districts 5580, 5950, & 5960 because of our reach into the farthest corners of the tri-state region. Specific targeted areas include the Twin Cities and Metro area, Rochester, St. Cloud, Mankato, Faribault, Marshall, Moorhead, Hudson, Fargo, Bismarck, and Willmar, but Rotary members have reach into many more and Alight looks forward to working together to meet these targets.

Photo credit: Jeff Hage.
Congratulations to Kaleidoscope Rotaract in Glenwood, MN! Recognized in September as one of 313 Rotaract clubs — located in countries around the world — for having at least five members contributing a combined total of at least US$50 to The Rotary Foundation during the year 2021-22. Rotaractors contributed together, then, more than US$87,000 to The Rotary Foundation, which supports the life-changing work of Rotary members around the world.
Since 2019-20, Rotaractors have contributed more than US$462,000 to our Foundation.
Rotaract is a Rotary-sponsored service club for members ages 18 to 30. They are usually community-based or university-based and are sponsored by a local Rotary club, making them valuable partners in service work.
Rotaract Clubs awarded 2021-22 Rotaract Giving Certificate | My Rotary